Wiping a Limited Face Up

How do you feel about people wiping the faceup of a limited doll?
It's theirs to customize if they want. If it were me in that position, I'd try to find the same sculpt without the special face-up but sometimes that's not possible. In any event, I don't judge people for what they do to their dolls.

Do you feel that the value of the doll drops because it doesn't have the original face up?
I think on some special One-Offs then yes, you're kind of paying for the original face-up there, right? But you could just as easily argue this point for a doll with a special face-up by a very sought-after artist.

Also, would you buy a limited doll without the original face up, or is the actual limited head more important?
Unless I really really really wanted that particular face-up, I wouldn't care. Even then, I think I'd just commission someone to recreate the same kind of feel. The sculpt is what I fall in love with, not the face-up.

I'd also like to add I've bought a couple of dolls with limited face-ups and wiped them and not regretted it one bit. In both scenarios, the dolls were only sold as full-sets. And unless someone was whispering about me behind my back, no one has particularly cared, either.

 

People are free to do whatever they want with their own dolls. Sometimes the dolls come out prettier, sometimes I feel that the original face-up had more appeal. But it is nice to see people's different face-ups and their styles.

I personally couldn't wipe away the face-up of my limited dolls, at least completely. Because what appealed to me about the dolls was their face-ups. Sure I don't have to like everything, but I find most of the face-up by the original artist nice.

Most likely, if I bought a doll without face-up, it would be due to other people's face-up of that doll and made him/her really shine with that face-up.

 

well I think if you like the orignal face up you can ask someone to it similar.

 

How do you feel about people wiping the faceup of a limited doll?
It doesn't matter to me if people wipe the faceup of a LE doll. It is their doll and they can do what they like.

Do you feel that the value of the doll drops because it doesn't have the original face up?
Not really. One of the major draws of this hobby is the customization possibilities. Faceups are part of the customization process.

Also, would you buy a limited doll without the original face up, or is the actual limited head more important?
Yes, I would buy a LE doll without faceup. I have also wiped the faceup of a LE doll. It's the LE head that's most important to me.

 

How do you feel about people wiping the faceup of a limited doll?
It's their doll, it's their choise. I am going to do this with my oncoming Pipos Mari. Not really LE doll, but sold out. As even if original face up cannot be done again, there are many talented people, who can do something else as beautiful.

Do you feel that the value of the doll drops because it doesn't have the original face up?
No. As I like to have my dolls coming with blank faces, the face ups by firm aren't that big hit for me.

Also, would you buy a limited doll without the original face up, or is the actual limited head more important?
As rearlier noted: it's the mold not the faceup (or clothes) of the doll I am after. So, I would buy LE doll without original face up.

 

How do you feel about people wiping the faceup of a limited doll?
It's the owner's choice. Personally I don't see anything wrong with it ^_^

Do you feel that the value of the doll drops because it doesn't have the original face up?
I think it depends. Some buyers want the LE faceup, others want the sculpt and don't care about the faceup. Personally, I don't think it devalues the doll.

Also, would you buy a limited doll without the original face up, or is the actual limited head more important?
The actual head is more important to me. For my limited dolls that have custom faceups, I honestly can say I like them better than the default faceups. Yet when I purchase limited dolls first-hand I tend to always get the default faceup just so I don't regret not getting it. I wouldn't feel bad changing it if it didn't suit the character I had in mind, though.

 

I think the limited vs. non-limited debate can at times be quite silly. I mean, yes resale value for a limited vs. non limited is quite drastically different, but people are going to fall in love with the sculpts that they fall in love with. There's been plenty of limited dolls that haven't been popular (SOOM Aspen springs to mind. I have one, and I love him, but I know of maybe one other person with him) and there are plenty of basic dolls that are extremely popular (FL Chloe, anyone?) something that crops up often in hobbys is the fact that just because something is rare doesn't necessarily give it any inherent value. And if we're talking about resale value, then yeah. Wiping a limited's faceup does change it's value, but it depends on the popularity of the face up and the doll how much that value changes.

But that's just monetary value.

If we're talking about sentimental value then people should (and will) do whatever they believe makes a doll more valuable to them. They shouldn't be bound by how much something cost them if they want to make it more appealing to them. They don't have to bow to the wishes of the hobby. If they have a Four Sisters with original face up and they want to wipe it, then they should. People should do what makes them happy and not worry about what would make other people happy, because at the end of the day, the doll is their doll and no one else's. I really don't understand why this is such a hard concept?

 

How do you feel about people wiping the faceup of a limited doll?

I'm not happy about it, but basically it comes down to the doll-owner and what they want to do. It's their money and their doll... They have the right to wipe a faceup if they want. If the owner is likely to sell the doll, it probably would be better to keep the original faceup. Or buy dolls that come without faceups. But it's still up to the owner.

Do you feel that the value of the doll drops because it doesn't have the orginal face up?

I would think the price would drop... usually. I've seen some amazing custom faceups from popular artists that still wouldn't sell on a doll, because it would have to appeal to the exact person who preferred it. I'm more of a fan of limited and company faceups, myself, and often won't buy a doll/head unless they have a company faceup. So maybe if the faceup was amazing, the price would hold... but otherwise--in like 90% of the cases, I'd think it would drop.

Also, would you buy a limited doll without the orginal face up, or is the actual limited head more important?
Depends. There are some faceups I just don't care for... But most of the dolls I buy (limiteds), I buy with the original faceup.

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I don't think limited or unlimited has anything to do with it. I prefer company faceups on standard/unlimited dolls, too...

I don't think cost of the original doll has anything to do with it either. Even on a very inexpensive, basic doll, I think the price would drop without the company faceup, unless the faceup happens to be spectacular and widely appealing.

To me, all bjds are limiteds, since very few are made (none are mass-produced), and even standards/basics will not be sold forever. And if you do customize at all, then it's pretty much a OOAK... even without that, each doll is styled SO differently as to be totally unique--even with a company faceup.

 

How do you feel about people wiping the faceup of a limited doll? Do you feel that the value of the doll drops because it doesn't have the orginal face up?

If it was a limited head sculpt that happened to come with some face painting: meh. I never even bother to buy the company face-ups to begin with. IMO they tend to be a little bit boring/simple, because they're meant to appeal to as many people as possible, and need to be easy to reproduce over and over and over again. So in that case I have no feelings about the matter, and I think the value of the doll depends directly on the demand for it on the secondary market. I feel that a company face-up is equal in the running with custom face-ups in these cases - nice ones increase the value, poor ones decrease it.

If it's a standard sculpt whose only claim to being limited is the special limited face-up: seems kind of... silly to me? Why not just get a standard doll of the same sculpt and let someone who actually wants the limited face-up get the doll with said limited face-up? I mean, at the end of the day if someone ended up with that sculpt because they liked the sculpt, and just happened to get the one with the limited face-up which they then decide to wipe, I don't really have a problem, but, uh... yeah, you won't be able to re-sell that sculpt as a "limited" anymore because the limited status is gone as soon as you wipe the thing that made it limited.

Also, would you buy a limited doll without the orginal face up, or is the actual limited head more important?

Whether a doll I want has a face-up or not has no bearing on my purchases. I find that there are many extremely talented artists in this hobby who can do amazing, individualized things (plus I keep saying I want to try my hand at this as well), so... Yeah, I don't care. I mean if it's a nice face-up that I originally liked on the doll it's a bonus. But I generally find getting attached to face-ups is silly anyways, because... they will eventually need to be redone - accident, MSC yellowing or fading with age, take your pick, but there will be a reason.

 

How do you feel about people wiping the faceup of a limited doll?

To be honest, I don't really like it... I'd even go as far as to say (or rather, I have said) that it annoys me... BUT I'd never condemn someone for doing what they want with a doll that they bought... As much as I might personally disapprove of it, it's not up to me or anyone else to dictate what someone does with their doll... So I wouldn't try to force my opinions on someone else.

Do you feel that the value of the doll drops because it doesn't have the original face up?

If we're talking like in general and in real scenarios, and not just opinions, then I don't know, it probably depends on the faceup? I'd imagine you could sell a limited doll with a really nice custom faceup for more than it was originally worth, but it just depends on the faceup and who's in the market for what... I'd personally be more willing to pay that bit extra for my holy grail doll with the original faceup than with no faceup or a different faceup... but I suppose if the custom faceup was just really nice and suited the character well (since she is a character doll) then I wouldn't mind it... The thing about it being a limited sculpt also is that the sculpt ITSELF is special, so you can fall in love with just the sculpt and not really care about the faceup or outfit, in which case it's reasonable to want the doll regardless of faceup status... Personally though if I fall in love with ANY limited doll it's probably because of what I see in the promos, which includes faceup, so not having that is like if you bought an unlimited doll whose sculpt you loved and its nose was missing or drastically changed or something.

Also, would you buy a limited doll without the orginal face up, or is the actual limited head more important?

In the end the limited head itself is more important really... if the opportunity presented itself to buy my grail doll and it seemed like the best and/or only opportunity to get her and she didn't have a faceup, I wouldn't just refuse on the basis of her being without original faceup.

This is a pretty touchy subject and I've made some mistakes carelessly talking about my opinion on the topic on my blog and coming off as a huge jerk when someone who had a wiped limited doll saw, which made me feel awfully guilty because I wasn't trying to judge anyone... I feel like I can sum up my standpoint on it as "I don't really like it when people do it, and I'd personally prefer the original faceup and would never ever get one wiped myself, but I don't judge or condemn people for doing it"

 

How do you feel about people wiping the faceup of a limited doll?
They paid for it so they can do whatever they like.

Do you feel that the value of the doll drops because it doesn't have the original faceup?
I dunno....does it? I guess if you wanna sell it you have to minus the faceup money you paid for?

Also, would you buy a limited doll without the original faceup, or is the actual limited head more important?
Definitely, yes. If I were to buy a doll, I'll like to see the sculpt without its faceup coz I want to check for staining and all that. I'll most likely ask the seller to wipe it off for me if they could.

 

How do you feel about people wiping the faceup of a limited doll?
My knee jerk reaction is that I don't like it…but I think it really only applies when the face up is a limited face up or one-off.

Do you feel that the value of the doll drops because it doesn't have the original faceup?
Not really - unless the face up is what made the doll limited. But for me, the only reason I would by a limited is because it's a limited head sculpt.

Also, would you buy a limited doll without the original faceup, or is the actual limited head more important?
The limited head would be the reason I would buy a limited. I've never bought a doll (yet) because I wanted the face up.

 

How do you feel about people wiping the faceup of a limited doll?

Depends on if I like the faceup, I guess. Then again, the faceup plays a part on whether I like the sculpt or not. A faceup can make a sculpt look really good or really bad. And all faceups wear out eventually, so even if I bought a limited doll with a limited faceup, I'd have to replace it with another one at some point.

Do you feel that the value of the doll drops because it doesn't have the orginal face up?

Depends on the doll. If it's a standard doll with a limited faceup, and that faceup is gone, then yeah, the value definitely drops to that of a regular doll. I think if the sculpt is limited, the value wouldn't drop that much, especially if it's a popular sculpt that's in high demand. People who want it badly enough are willing to pay more to get it.

Also, would you buy a limited doll without the original face up, or is the actual limited head more important?

I think the head is definitely more important than the faceup. Like I said, all faceups eventually wear out and need replacing, but the head, not so much (unless the owner is careless and damages it in some way).

 

Its the buyer's choice. I mean, I wouldnt necessarily get a doll unless I liked the face up so I dont really know. If I was planning on changing it, I'd get one without a faceup. But its the owners choice and I have no opinion on someone elses choices; its their right and desire to do it. So its alright by me.

 

How do you feel about people wiping the faceup of a limited doll?

It doesn't really matter to me what other people do with their dolls. I have seen it happen and I've thought it was a strange thing to do, but it doesn't "bother me" or anything

Do you feel that the value of the doll drops because it doesn't have the orginal face up?

Probably, maybe... it depends I think. If the sculpt itself is limited (and not just the faceup) then I don't think it would matter too much. Especially if the doll was repainted by one of the more sought after artists. If however the sculpt was not limited, just the faceup and outfit, then I think wiping it seems like it might not be the best idea. Why would you bother to buy that doll (instead of the basic version) if you're just going to wipe it?

Also, would you buy a limited doll without the original face up, or is the actual limited head more important?

Like I said, it depends on if the sculpt itself is limited, or if only the faceup was. If the sculpt itself is limited, then I probably wouldn't care about the faceup. I might even prefer it blank so I can make it how I want. However if the faceup was limited (and the sculpt itself is basic, like a lot of lati limited dolls for example) then I wouldn't really want it. What's the point?

 

Alayaya hit the nail on the head. Why buy a limited faceup you don't like on a basic doll instead of a just buying a blank basic in the first place?

How do you feel about people wiping the faceup of a limited doll?
Once you've bought it, it's yours. You have every right to do as you please. I might wince a little if I see something done that I don't like personally, but it's not my place to say anything. It's not anyone's place to say anything about what you do with your possessions.

Do you feel that the value of the doll drops because it doesn't have the original face up?
If the sculpt is what's limited, then no. If it is a basic sculpt with a limited faceup, then yes. That's just the way this market works. Unless it is a limited sculpt with a limited faceup, then wiping the faceup might or might not drop the value, depending on how in demand the sculpt is.

Also, would you buy a limited doll without the original face up, or is the actual limited head more important?
I would buy a limited sculpt with a limited faceup only if I liked the faceup. Otherwise, I would order it blank and get a custom faceup put on it. So I guess I would say that the limited head is more important.

That said, like some of the others pointed out, there is also the consideration that there are some faceup artists out there that command huge prices on their work alone, regardless of sculpt. Some of these artists don't take commissions anymore or rarely do, so that drives the demand for their work even higher. From a smart investment viewpoint, to wipe any of their work is definitely not wise.

Like anything else, it's a good idea to do some research on what you have so you can market effectively and know what to set your price at if you decide to sell.

One other point: There are some that will tell you a faceup is a temporary thing. I don't find that to be necessarily true. My Hound has had the same faceup for nearly 10 years now. A lot of the faceups in my household are 5-9 years old and still look great. No smudging, no fading. I've only had one faceup chip, and that happened less than a month after I got it, so that's probably a sealant issue. You treat a faceup with care and get one that's sealed well, and it will last a long time.

 

How do you feel about people wiping the faceup of a limited doll?

I'm one of those people! I keep waffling back and forth over whether or not to wipe the face off my Dollmore Spider Queen. I don't like scroll-work on dolls, it's just one of my face-up dislikes. And this limited edition fullset has these huge green swirls all over her cheek. And yet I am SO hesitant to wipe it for the reasons many of you are discussing here in this thread.

Do you feel that the value of the doll drops because it doesn't have the orginal face up?

I'm sure it would.

Also, would you buy a limited doll without the orginal face up, or is the actual limited head more important?

I think just finding the sculpt that suits the character is what matters most. When I was newer in the hobby I thought the notion of having a limited doll was a bigger deal but as I've seen over the years, and in my personal experience, the limited aspect of a doll wears off pretty quickly.

To me, this hobby is all about customization. Having a limited edition fullset doll is very.... (wait for it).... limiting. *badum-chhh* XD My cheesy jokes aside, I think at this point the value of the doll has already decreased over time, so there's not much point being stuck with a face I don't actually enjoy. Either I should sell her or wipe her face-up and create something more individual and fun. I love the white-skin Bella, just not the scrolls.

 

In general how long do you guys find your faceups lasting? The limited I have is like 10 years old and I think the faceup isn't as great or vibrant as I'd want it to be anymore. Maybe it is partially my fault (i"m the 2nd owner though) but how long then do faceups last on average?

 

Hrmm I'm actually in the position of seriously contemplating wiping a limited face-up...

Fell in love with the promo images of the first run of DollZone's Freddy-2 sculpt. So in a first for me ordered the faceup too. However in person, even though it looks remarkably like the promo shots, I like the face-up a lot lot less.

Yeah it's a bit of a quandrary, one I've been dithering over for several months but I suspect I'd feel more able to do things with the doll with a new look, and a faceup that doesn't make me treat the little guy like he's made of glass!

 

This has never bothered me at all -- I've done it myself several times. If anything, I think a limited sculpt with a truly unique faceup is more appealing.